Justice
Why Your Grandma Loves Pickleball
The fast-growing sport is a hybrid of tennis, ping pong, and badminton—and seniors are crazy for it.
At first, they went easy on me. I was a novice, so Donna, Carol, and Linda—all residents of Leisure World, a sprawling retirement community in Silver Spring, Maryland—let me warm up with a few rallies, and encouraged me to practice my serve. After five minutes, they decided I was ready to play.
Carol, clad in a shimmering green and purple track suit, served. I returned, pleased to have already mastered the basics. Then Carol reached up and sliced the ball back over the net, expertly landing it just inside the line. “That was her kill shot!” said Donna, as I jumped and lunged to no avail.